Prime Minister

Prime Minister: Staff

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2017 to Question 4882, how many advisers in her foreign affairs team are not Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff.

Mrs Theresa May: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. member.

Domestic Visits: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Prime Minister, what the last occasion was that a serving Prime Minister visited Easington constituency.

Mrs Theresa May: Visits by previous Prime Ministers are a matter of public record.

Housing: Horden

Grahame Morris: To ask the Prime Minister, if she will visit Easington constituency to discuss housing issues in Horden.

Mrs Theresa May: I visit all parts of the United Kingdom regularly. Details of my visits within the United Kingdom are published on the gov.uk website.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Sign Language

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to provide (a) information on its services in British Sign Language (BSL) and (b) correspondence in BSL to people whose principal language is BSL.

Caroline Dinenage: a) The Department is obliged to anticipate the communication needs of any customer who would otherwise be placed at substantial disadvantage and to put in place an alternative format of communication which will meet the customer’s needs. The Department is currently only able to provide general information on GOV.UK regarding its services. We are able to provide services in BSL when requested by our customers. b) DWP customers who have a specific communication barrier are able to use a variety of communication methods including home visits, phone calls and online services as well as written communications. Once we have established that a customer uses BSL as their principal form of communication with the Department, all future correspondence with that customer will be arranged in this form, without the need for repeated requests. Where necessary the department provides British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters or non-spoken language interpreters, using contracted providers for customers who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. Video relay service (VRS) is also being trialed through the call centres for Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance and Access to Work, as well as by the Access to Work advisers in the Hearing Loss Team. VRS allows users to make BSL interpreted video calls via their tablet, smartphone, computer or laptop. A professional interpreter then relays the call in English to a member of DWP staff.

Children: Maintenance

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much is owned to resident parents by non-resident parents in child support arrears in each local authority in Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: Child Support Agency As at July 2017 the total amount of Child Support Agency Arrears for each Local Authority in Scotland was as follows: Local Authority Arrears owed (£ Million)Aberdeen8.3Aberdeenshire10.9Angus5.6Argyll & Bute4.2Clackmannanshire2.7Dumfries & Galloway6.7Dundee9.0East Ayrshire6.9East Dunbartonshire3.1East Lothian4.0East Renfrewshire2.3Edinburgh12.8Falkirk7.6Fife19.1Glasgow28.2Highland11.1Inverclyde4.8Midlothian4.1Moray4.4North Ayrshire8.3North Lanarkshire19.1Orkney Islands0.8Perth & Kinross6.6Renfrewshire8.1Scottish Borders5.1Shetland1.3South Ayrshire5.1South Lanarkshire14.5Stirling3.2West Dunbartonshire5.4West Lothian8.4Western Isles1.2 Child Maintenance Service Information on the total value of arrears on cases in each Local Authority in Scotland for the Child Maintenance Service could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Notes: 1) Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100,000. 2) Cases have been allocated to a local authority in Scotland by matching the residential postcode of the parent with care for all cases administered on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems, as well as cases managed off system, to the Office for National Statistics Postcode Directory.

Universal Credit

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is after an application is submitted for universal credit before the first payment is received for claimants in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK.

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time for first payments to be made to new claimants of universal credit between application and receipt of payment was in each month from January 2017.

Damian Hinds: I refer the Hon. Members to the answer I gave on 18 July 2017 to question 4898.

Department for Work and Pensions: Domestic Visits

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many visits ministers of  his Department have made to (a) food banks, (b) summer holiday lunch clubs and (c) credit unions since 1 June 2017; and if he will publish the dates and locations of those visits.

Damian Hinds: The following Ministers have visited a food bank since their appointment. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions visited Dacorum food bank on 7 July 2017. The Minister of State for Employment visited Alton food bank on 21 July 2017. The Minister of State for Disabled People, Health & Work, visited Paulsgrove School Holiday Lunch Club on 23 August 2017. She met with the Trussell Trust on 10 July 2017 at DWP’s London HQ and with Helping Hands Homelessness Charity on 1 September 2017 in Portsmouth. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Pensions and Financial Inclusion visited West Northumberland food bank on 31 August 2017, East London Credit Union on 24 July 2017 in Walthamstow. He also visited Tynedale Community Bank Drop In Centre (a Credit Union) at Hexham Abbey.

Jobcentres: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which jobcentres in Wales have closed since 2010.

Damian Hinds: Since 2010 there have been 5 Jobcentre Plus closures in Wales, in these locations: South East WalesCardiff Caradog House 4 St Andrews PlaceSouth West WalesPort Talbot Units 2/3 St David's HouseSouth East WalesMerthyr Tydfill Part 1st floor Ty PenderynSouth East WalesNewport Unit 1 Monmouthshire SquareSouth East WalesBargoed Unit 1 Emporium Building  Note - This list includes those sites that have closed, and where we have not relocated services within the area.

Personal Independence Payment: Stretford and Urmston

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants in Stretford and Urmston constituency have had their personal independence payments decisions overturned in their favour as a result of (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) an appeal hearing in each year for which data is available.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) clearances split by type of clearance (i.e. whether the claim was awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html In respect to part (a) of the question, the information you requested is not held by the department. This is because the department only holds information on whether an outcome at Mandatory Reconsideration resulted in a changed or unchanged award; it does not contain information on whether a change was in favour of the claimant. In respect to part (b) of your question, please see the table below.  Table 1 below shows the Number of appeals found in favour of appellant by financial year, data from the Ministry of Justice. Table 1  YearNumber Found in Favour of AppellantPercentage Found in favour of Appellant (at hearing)2013/14~~2014/153830%2015/1645841%2016/1771648%Ministry of Justice Notes to Appeals Table 1;SSCS data is attributed to hearing venue nearest to the appellants home address, for appellants identified as living in Stretford and Urmston constituency those appeals are attributed to our Manchester venues.Personal Independence Payment replaced Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged 16 to 64 from 8 April 2013,as such appeal volumes to HMCTS in the Year 2013_2014 are low. Data includes Personal Independence Payment ReassessmentBy financial year - from April to March.Percentage Found in favour of Appellant this is based on the number found in favour as a percentage of the appeals cleared at hearing. In line with the published stats~ HMCTS has chosen not to provide an exact figure in cases where the true number falls between one and five. However, it should not be assumed that the actual figure represented falls at any particular point within this scale; 'five or fewer' is used as a replacement value from which it would be difficult to isolate or extract any individual data.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and is the best data that is available. The data is a subset of official statistics extracted from the case management system on a different date.

Universal Credit

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of universal credit claimants have fallen into rent arrears in each month from January 2017.

Damian Hinds: This information is not currently available. However, in order to address the issue of rent arrears in Universal Credit DWP are undertaking a number of initiatives. Following successful pilots of the ‘Trusted Partner’ scheme and the ‘Landlord Portal Service’, DWP will rollout both initiatives together. We will start enrolling more landlords in stages from October, in tandem with the expansion of the Universal Credit Full Service. We will start with the largest landlord groups, in order to ensure the highest possible number of tenants are able to benefit from the schemes, as early as possible. The Trusted Partner scheme allows social landlords to play a key role in engaging with their tenants who are Universal Credit claimants, helping those who can’t manage their housing payments to access the support available. The Landlord Portal provides social landlords with the ability to submit information directly to the Universal Credit online system, which supports timely and accurate payment of housing costs to Universal Credit claimants. The next stage of rollout for both initiatives means that all Trusted Partner landlords will have access to the Landlord Portal and we have already introduced this to the landlords involved in our Trusted Partner pilot.

Universal Credit

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of claimants have received hardship payments under universal credit in each month from January 2017.

Damian Hinds: Currently, the information requested is not readily available from our systems. However, work is planned to make this data accessible in the forthcoming months. To access this data in the meantime would involve a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will list the series of trials in which his Department is testing the effectiveness of interventions to support those already in work to increase their earnings.

Damian Hinds: Universal Credit provides us with the opportunity, for the first time, to support people on low incomes to progress in work, and we are developing the evidence base about what works with a series of trials.Findings from trials delivered under the UK Futures programme with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills were published in August 2016, and we expect to publish the results of trials delivered by Timewise and GOALS later this year.The in-work progression randomised control trial will run until 31 March 2018. We expect to publish the full evaluation report in summer 2018.A suite of 6 pilots has recently been announced, funded jointly by DWP and local authorities which include initiatives to support progression. These include Cambridgeshire Combined Authority who aim to support progression in the health and care sector; and the West of England Combined Authority who will test an employment mentor model.This is an ongoing commitment to building our evidence base. As the development of Universal Credit progresses, we are seeking to further expand our suite of trials, including looking at ways in which we can offer support through digital means.

Jobcentres: Wales

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2017 to Questions 6552 and the Answers of 25 July 2017 to Questions 5366 and 5365, whether his Department has the details of the mobility requirements of all current claimants.

Damian Hinds: Pursuant to questions 6552, 5366 and 5365. While our Work Coaches take into account and understand the individual needs of vulnerable claimants, such as those limited by a health condition or disability or because of caring responsibilities, DWP does not routinely capture and collate information on the mobility requirements of all claimants.

Occupational Pensions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will change current regulations so that employers are required to issue annual automatic pension statements.

Guy Opperman: Trustees and providers of defined contribution (DC) pension schemes are required to issue annual statements to members which must include the current value of the pension pot, the amount contributed in the previous year and a projected estimate of what pension income the pot may buy at retirement. We have no plans to require employers to issue such statements. Employers who sponsor defined benefit (DB) pension schemes are not required to issue annual pension statements, although some sponsors do. However if a statement is requested by a member sponsors of DB schemes are required to issue one within two months. As defined benefit (DB) pensions normally promise a specific income in relation to salary and length of service, there are minimal annual fluctuations in entitlement. Placing a legal requirement on DB schemes to issue annual statements, particularly where the estimated pension remains unchanged, would place a disproportionate cost burden on defined benefit schemes. We have no plans to require schemes to issue such statements.

Home Office

Hezbollah

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend the proscription of the military wing of Hezbollah under the provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000 to include its political wing.

Mr Ben  Wallace: I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer given to the Hon. Member for East Renfrewshire on 28 June 2017, UIN 556.

Northern Ireland Office

Tourism: Northern Ireland

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress he and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are making to attract more visitors to Northern Ireland.

Chloe Smith: Tourism is a devolved policy area, meaning that the Northern Ireland Executive has responsibility for the promotion and delivery of the tourism offer within Northern Ireland. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas. VisitBritain and Tourism Northern Ireland recently signed a partnership agreement where they will work together on specific projects to market Northern Ireland to visitors. Over the last decade, Northern Ireland has become a 'must-see' tourist destination, and we will continue to encourage visitors to come to experience the many wonderful sights and attractions it has to offer.

Northern Ireland Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Chloe Smith: My Department has not received any services from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Sign Language

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department takes to provide (a) information on its services in British Sign Language (BSL) and (b) correspondence in BSL to people whose principal language is BSL.

Matt Hancock: We endeavour to communicate in the best way for our audiences and aim to meet specific communication or access to information requirements as requested or when a specific need has been identified.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Luke Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve broadband speeds in rural areas.

Matt Hancock: Superfast Broadband is now available to nearly 94% of premises in the UK and is on track to reach 95% by the end of 2017 and we recently announced £645M funding to take this further. By 2020, we will ensure universal broadband access to at least 10Mbps, so that no home or business is left behind. The Local Full Fibre Networks programme will be available across the UK, including in rural areas. Funding from the programme is likely to deliver fibre installations in areas where the current cost of delivering fibre is not commercially viable.

Tourism: Republic of Ireland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the tourism industry shared between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

John Glen: DCMS will not produce a public assessment of the potential effects of exiting the EU for specific sectors, including how the tourism industry between the UK and the Republic of Ireland might be affected. However, the department is engaging with the tourism sector and devolved administrations to ensure that views about the challenges and opportunities of the UK’s exit from the EU are considered in policy development. We will pursue a deep and special partnership with the EU, ensuring the continued growth of our thriving tourism sector. The UK Government, Irish Government, and European Union all agree on maintaining the Common Travel Area. Our view is that an agreement on protecting and upholding the CTA and associated bilateral arrangements should be concluded at an early stage.

Department of Health

Measles: Vaccination

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the immunisation rate is for measles; and what steps the Government is taking to improve measles immunisation coverage.

Steve Brine: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 September 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Protection against measles is provided in the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR).The latest England vaccine coverage figures for the United Kingdom (January to March 2017) show that uptake of one dose of MMR vaccine at two years was 91.7% and at five years was 95.4%, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s elimination target. Uptake of two MMR doses at five years was 88.1%. In November 2016, a measles and rubella elimination strategy group was established to oversee the development of a United Kingdom-wide Measles and Rubella elimination strategy. This strategy will focus on sustaining very high coverage of MMR in children below five years of age and on providing opportunities for MMR catch-up to older population groups at risk for measles and/or rubella. Public Health England (PHE) continues to work with others to supply information for health professionals and the public on the benefits and risks associated with MMR. PHE and NHS England work closely with providers at a local level to target specific communities where uptake of the MMR vaccine is known to be poor.

Steve Brine: Protection against measles is provided in the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR).The latest England vaccine coverage figures for the United Kingdom (January to March 2017) show that uptake of one dose of MMR vaccine at two years was 91.7% and at five years was 95.4%, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s elimination target. Uptake of two MMR doses at five years was 88.1%. In November 2016, a measles and rubella elimination strategy group was established to oversee the development of a United Kingdom-wide Measles and Rubella elimination strategy. This strategy will focus on sustaining very high coverage of MMR in children below five years of age and on providing opportunities for MMR catch-up to older population groups at risk for measles and/or rubella. Public Health England (PHE) continues to work with others to supply information for health professionals and the public on the benefits and risks associated with MMR. PHE and NHS England work closely with providers at a local level to target specific communities where uptake of the MMR vaccine is known to be poor.

General Practitioners: Enfield

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and which GP practices (a) closed and (b) opened in the London Borough of Enfield in each year since 2010.

Steve Brine: NHS England has recorded four practice closures in Enfield since 2013, listed in the table below.Practice NameDate of closureThe Green Practice30 January 2014Jaina House Surgery1 July 2014Palm Medical Centre2 August 2014Bowes Road Medical Centre10 June 2016Practices may close for a variety of reasons, including mergers with neighbouring practices or the retirement of general practitioners from single-handed practices. A reduction in practice numbers does not necessarily correspond with a reduction in the quality of care. Much of the trend to work in larger groupings is provider driven, in line with the strategic intent to provide primary care at scale and to create back office efficiencies. There are currently three Primary Care Access Hubs across Enfield which are open from 6.30pm - 8pm weekdays and 8am - 8pm weekends and public holidays.

Wheelchairs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS has spent on wheelchair provision in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it is the Government's policy for the NHS to provide a wheelchair to everyone who needs one.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS-funded wheelchairs have been provided in each of the last 10 years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on National Health Service spend on wheelchair provision and the number of NHS-funded wheelchairs provided in each of the last 10 years is not available centrally. Since July 2015, NHS England has collected data from commissioners on a quarterly basis about wheelchair services and delivery of the wheelchair pathway. This includes the collection of data covering volume, expenditure and access to services. The National Wheelchair Data Collection, which is available as an online only resource, is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/wheelchair-services/nhse-role/Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning the majority of wheelchair services for their local populations and equipment will be prescribed according to the patient’s clinical need following an assessment by an appropriately qualified practitioner or prescriber. To improve wheelchair commissioning, and support continuing work promoting personalisation in wheelchair services, NHS England has published a Model Service Specification for Wheelchair and Posture Services. The specification provides CCGs with a framework for them to use with their service users, providers and suppliers to commission services that meet the needs of wheelchair users.

Health Professions: Ethnic Groups

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS staff are representative of the population in respect of ethnicity.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department is committed to ensuring that the treatment, representation and opportunities of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) staff in the workplace match the values and principles that the National Health Service represents; a fair and equitable NHS for all. The Department has implemented a number of initiatives to help promote equality and inclusion for NHS staff. The Workforce Race Equality Standard was mandated to the NHS in April 2015. It requires NHS provider organisations to demonstrate progress against a number of indicators of workforce equality, including how representative each organisation’s leadership is of its workforce as a whole. The NHS Leadership Academy (NHS LA) runs two positive action programmes, “Ready Now” and “Stepping Up”, for health and care BAME staff. Proposals to enable a significant expansion in the size of each programme are currently being considered. The NHS LA is also developing the Building Leadership for Inclusion Programme. This Programme will focus on unlocking leadership potential by ensuring the voices of those employees who are most negatively affected by exclusive leadership practices and organisational cultures shape leadership development interventions. As at March 2017, 42% of doctors employed in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups , whose stated nationality was recorded, are BAME. The figure for nurses is 21%. This compares with a figure of 14% across the general population of England and Wales, based on ONS’s most recent 2011 Census figures1. 1 Digital:https://digital.nhs.uk/media/31232/Equality-and-diversity-NHS-Trusts-and-CCGs-March-2017/xls/equal-div-trust-mar-2017and ONS:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105213319/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rpt-ethnicity.html

Candida Auris

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to prevent the incidence of Candida auris in NHS hospitals.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS patients have been infected with Candida auris in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS patients have developed bloodstream infections as a result of Candida auris in each of the last 12 months.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list each NHS trust which has experienced an outbreak of Candida auris in each of the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: Public Health England (PHE) is currently undertaking work on the background prevalence of the carriage of Candida auris (C. auris) to help assess the likelihood of incident cases in the National Health Service hospitals to inform screening recommendations. PHE has analysed the global literature to incorporate best practice (including that gained from United Kingdom experience) into updated guidelines, available to view here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/candida-auris-emergence-in-england/candida-auris-within-the-united-kingdom-updated-guidance-publishedIn each of the last 12 months for which data are available, the number of clinical infections of C.auris and the number of patients who have developed bloodstream infections was fewer than 10. From August 2016 to August 2017, the three hospitals that have experienced outbreaks of C.auris are:- Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Brompton Hospital);- Oxford University Hospitals (John Radcliffe Hospital); and- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (King’s College Hospital). As of 14 August 2017 all hospitals have declared their C. auris outbreaks over.

NHS: Repairs and Maintenance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the recent trends in the NHS high-risk maintenance backlog; and what steps he is taking to tackle that backlog.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department collects data on backlog maintenance (the capital investment needed to bring the estate and facilities to an appropriate standard for quality and safety) annually from National Health Service trusts through its Estates Returns Information Collection. The data collected is not amended centrally and its accuracy always remains the responsibility of the contributing NHS organisations. It can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/559126/est-ret-info-col-2015-2016-Report.pdf NHS organisations use a risk-based methodology to categorise backlog maintenance. This allows any high risk elements related to health and safety to be prioritised by trusts for urgent attention, whilst investment to eradicate lower priority backlog can be timed so that any disruption to clinical services caused by the building works is minimised.

NHS Trusts: Cerner

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of IT exemplar trusts use IT systems supplied by Cerner.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We understand from NHS England that currently, seven out of the 16 exemplar trusts (44%) use IT systems supplied by Cerner and are listed in the following table.Cerner exemplar trust ListCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustImperial College Healthcare NHS Trust with Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation TrustNewcastle upon Type Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustOxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust)Royal Free Hampstead NHS TrustWest Suffolk NHS Foundation TrustWirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Urinary System: Diseases

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients with urinary tract infections went on to contract sepsis in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not collected centrally. We have made significant progress since our focus on sepsis increased in January 2015. The Commissioning for Quality and Innovation Scheme for sepsis incentivises providers to improve identification and timely treatment of sepsis – since the scheme was launched in 2015, we estimate more than 998 lives have been saved. A new national action plan (for 2017/18) was published on 13 September to update the action plan originally launched in October 2015. It will include embedding safety netting with all healthcare professionals assessing patients with infections, supporting a range of education and training resources developed by Health Education England and further work on improving standards and reporting. The new ambition to halve healthcare associated Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSIs) by 2020, arising from our response to Lord O’Neill’s recommendations in relation to Antimicrobial Resistance, also contribute to reductions in sepsis as patients with Gram-negative BSIs may well go on to develop sepsis. This work is led by NHS Improvement and is focusing in 2017/18 on reducing E. coli BSIs – almost half of these arise from urinary tract infections.

Health Services

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many referrals by Tier 1 Authorities under Regulation 23(9) of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013 have been made in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Statistics on the number of referrals under Regulation 23(9) of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013 can be accessed on the Independent Reconfiguration Panel website, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=independent-reconfiguration-panel

NHS: Reorganisation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will set out the consultation process that a sustainability and transformation partnership is required to undertake when a decision to substantially change services is made.

Steve Brine: In September 2016 NHS England published “Engaging local people: A guide for local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans”. This document outlines the expectations on stakeholder involvement and in particular patient and public participation. A copy of 'Engaging People: a guide for local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans’ is available here:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/engaging-local-people-a-guide-for-local-areas-developing-sustainability-and-transformation-plans/ When there are proposals to substantially change services, the National Health Service has a duty to consult with their local community. There are longstanding rules to assure this. All significant service change is subject to a full public consultation and proposals must meet the Government’s four reconfiguration tests. These are support from clinical commissioners, clarity on the clinical evidence base, robust patient and public engagement and support for patient choice. There is additional NHS England guidance which means that proposed service reconfigurations should be tested for their impact on overall bed numbers in the area.

Capita

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the performance of the primary care support services contract since it was taken over by Capita; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the risk to patients caused by delays to the transfer of patient records to GPs under the primary care support services contract; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many and what proportion of patients' records formerly held by Henley Cross GP practice in Tudway Road, Greenwich have yet to be delivered to new GP practices since it closed in February 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been paid out in compensation by Capita for a failure to meet its obligations under the contract for primary care support services; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England recognises that there have been transition issues following the transfer of primary care support services to Capita. Over recent months, services have improved, as demonstrated through increased performance levels, reductions in outstanding issues and complaints, and improvements in customer satisfaction, as measured in the most recent user satisfaction survey. The contract with Capita is underpinned by a number of robust contractual mechanisms designed to ensure that primary care support services are delivered in line with expectations. These include financial service credits where agreed performance targets across the service are not achieved.NHS England advises that, following the closure of the Henley Cross GP practice, there were 3,800 paper medical records which were collected by Primary Care Support England (PCSE). 3,302 of these relate to patients who have re-registered with a new practice and these medical records have been sent to those practices. In line with delivery timescales, there are 435 records which PCSE is currently preparing for despatch following recent patient registrations at new general practitioner (GP) practices. The remaining 63 relate to patients who are yet to register with a GP practice and these are being held, in line with agreed processes, in PCSE’s storage facility. Where a GP has an urgent clinical need to access information in a medical record, there is an established urgent request process in place, where PCSE will facilitate contact between current and previous GP practices to ensure the details get to the relevant clinician as a priority - within two working days.

NHS Property Services: Income

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 August 2017 to Question 5853, if he will make an assessment of the income of NHS Property Services Ltd for the 2017-18 financial year.

Mr Philip Dunne: The budgeted income figure for NHS Property Services for the 2017-18 financial year is currently £778 million. This figure could change as the year progresses.

General Practitioners: Fees and Charges

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2017 to Question 5742, what the total amount was of GP practice service charges that were overdue in each of the last five financial years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information on the total amounts of general practitioner (GP) practice service charges that were overdue in each of the most recent financial years for which data is available is set out in the following table. YearTotal costs charged to GP tenants of Community Health Partnerships outstanding £millionTotal costs charged to GP tenants of NHS Property Services that are outstanding £million2016/1714.655.12015/1613.427.82014/151.38.62013/142.3 Totals31.691.5 These are the total costs charged to GP tenants that are outstanding for the years since the two companies took on their head-tenant role upon the abolition of primary care trusts in 2013. Approximately half of this outstanding debt for both companies relates to reimbursable costs (rent, business rates, water rates and clinical waste collection).

Cancer: Diagnosis

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2017 to Question 5811, how many areas were subject to the capped expenditure process plan to reduce the number of endoscopies undertaken.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally. The National Health Service and wider health system has examined how to sustain and improve care – which produced the NHS Five Year Forward View. The Government is committed to providing an additional £8 billion in real terms by 2020-21 to back the NHS’ plan, enabling it to deliver key priorities like seven day care, improved access to cancer treatments and better mental health services. All public services, local NHS areas need to live within the budget agreed – otherwise they effectively take up resources that could be spent on general practitioners, mental health care, and cancer treatment. As part of their financial planning, NHS England and NHS Improvement have been running a process to look at how a small number of areas could do more to balance their financial plans, as many already have. It is important that these plans are consistent with constitutional standards on waiting times and patient choice. The majority of patients should receive their diagnostic tests within six weeks from referral. However, it is right that the NHS should consider efficiency savings, such as reducing delayed transfers of care, or reducing running costs – because this improves patient care overall.

Female Genital Mutilation: Clinics

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number and location of clinics which are recommended for people who have undergone FGM.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides for women with FGM seeking care who live in areas where there is no dedicated FGM clinic.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information the Government holds on recent or ongoing research on FGM clinical provision; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued on joint working between GP practices and hospitals which run FGM clinics.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the location and date of planned opening of new clinics for dealing with FGM cases.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the categories of clinic which have dealt with people who have undergone FGM.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are a number of specialist National Health Service clinics nationally that will treat women with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The services offered by these clinics vary and provide a range of procedures including de-infibulation, counselling and other services specifically for girls and women affected by FGM. Most are run by specially trained doctors, nurses or midwives who understand FGM and are able to treat some of the medical problems caused by it.With regards to guidance for women seeking care in areas with no dedicated FGM clinic, it is for clinical commissioning groups to commission appropriate local services for the health needs of their populations. There is a range of research around the clinical provision for FGM, both nationally and internationally. The Department is aware of research, for example around both reconstructive surgery and de-infibulation. As these and other evidence bases develop, we will consider what outcomes the research might offer within the context of the NHS. Currently the focus of our FGM health work remains on prevention. With regard to joint working between general practitioner (GP) practices and hospitals which run FGM clinics, these relationships should be the same as the relationships between any other GP and hospital FGM services whether in maternity, gynaecology or any other setting related to FGM or otherwise. The FGM Enhanced Dataset specification Standardisation Committee for Care Information (SCCI) 2026 and other guidance materials, where appropriate, also contain information in relation to the data which should be exchanged between GPs and any clinic in relation to FGM. The Department does not hold information on the locations or opening dates of clinics to deal with FGM. NHS England holds details about the number and location of specialist NHS FGM services nationally - currently there are 13 FGM clinics of which eight are located in London. With regards to information on the categories of clinic, the FGM Enhanced Dataset supports the Department’s FGM Prevention Programme by presenting a national picture of the prevalence of FGM in England. Data is collected by healthcare providers in England, including acute hospital providers, mental health providers and GP practices. Treatment Function Code is collected within the Enhanced Dataset. This is recorded to report the specialised service within which the patient is treated. The most recent, annual report from the FGM Enhanced Dataset was published on 4 July 2017. A copy is available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30015It reported on attendances in the NHS between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017. A known Treatment Function Code was recorded for only 59% of total attendances. The most common treatment functions associated with the identification and treatment of FGM in this period were within midwifery services, obstetrics, mental health recovery and rehabilitation services and gynaecology. A full list of treatment function codes is available in the NHS Data Dictionary, which are available at the following link:http://www.datadictionary.nhs.uk/data_dictionary/attributes/t/tran/treatment_function_code_de.asp?shownav=0

Durham City Council: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding Durham County Council has received from the public health grant in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: Durham County Council’s public health grant has been as follows: 2013/14£44.533 million2014/15£45.780 million2015/16£47.538 million2016/17£51.246 million2017/18£49.983 million Source:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-circulars

General Practitioners: Recruitment

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Government has made towards meeting its commitment to recruit 5,000 additional GPs by 2020.

Steve Brine: NHS England and Health Education England (HEE) are working together with the profession to increase the general practitioner (GP) workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment into general practice, address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession, and encourage GPs to return to practice. HEE has implemented a range of improvements to increase the number of GP training places to 3,250 each year. In 2016 3,019 new starters were recruited to training posts – this is the highest number of GP trainees ever. In August 2017, NHS England announced plans to accelerate its international recruitment programme, following a series of successful regional pilots. It aims to recruit at least 2,000 GPs from overseas over the next three years. To improve retention, NHS England has launched the GP Career Plus Scheme, to test a range of ways to offer flexibility and support to experienced GPs at risk of leaving general practice. This is in addition to the new GP Retention Scheme which offers funding to support doctors who can only work a limited number of sessions in general practice. Finally, in October 2016, NHS England announced a package of improvements to the GP Induction and Refresher Scheme to make it easier and quicker for qualified doctors to return to general practice.

Abortion

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions were carried out at (a) NHS hospitals and (b) registered clinics in Lancashire in 2016; and how many (i) male and (ii) female foetuses were aborted at each location during that year.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There were 4,564 abortions in Lancashire in 2016. 42% (1,937) were carried out by National Health Service hospitals and 58% (2,627) elsewhere. There is no information held on the sex of the fetus.

Health: Expenditure

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent in real terms per head of the population on health in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: Official Government statistics on spending per head of population, including on health, are available in HM Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. Total expenditure per head on health in England for the years 2004-16 are as follows:YearExpenditure per head in England (£)2004-051,3532005-061,4512006-071,5132007-081,6292008-091,7482009-101,8752010-111,9002011-121,8742012-131,9122013-141,9942014-152,0572015-162,106Source: HM Treasury Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses

Hospitals: Construction

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many new hospitals were built in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne: All National Health Service building projects involve a part redevelopment/replacement of the site. Therefore, even the largest schemes do not involve the creation of a new hospital.The Government are investing record amounts in transforming the NHS. On 19 July, we announced £325 million of capital investment for local projects that will help the NHS in England to modernise and transform care for patients.Details are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/325-million-invested-in-nhs-transformation-projects

Hospital Beds

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many delayed transfers of care there were in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England publishes monthly data on the total number of delayed transfers of care for all patients delayed throughout the month. The data are published at National Health Service trust and local authority level and provide information on the reason for delay. The table below provides the total number of delayed transfers of care between the period 2010/11 (part year) and 2017/18 (year to date).YearNumber of Delayed Transfer of Care2010-11 (August 2010 –March 2011)918,4382011-121,373,3922012-131,380,4752013-141,413,5912014-151,624,9772015-161,809,5872016-172,253,8362017-18 (April to June 2017)533,968 (Year To Date) Source: NHS England’s Statistical Work Areas: Delayed Transfer of Care data   The latest data is for June 2017. The latest data and that of previous months is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/delayed-transfers-of-care/

NHS: Reorganisation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to provide a statutory basis to sustainability and transformation partnership structures.

Steve Brine: The Department currently has no plans to place Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) on a statutory footing. STPs represent a coming together of commissioners, providers and local authorities to consider how to best plan care across their entire footprint and deliver the three aims set out in the Five Year Forward View. However, the statutory architecture for health and care remains fully in place, as do the existing accountabilities for Chief Executives and Accountable Officers of providers and clinical commissioning groups.

Health Services

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many never events have occurred involving (a) audiologists, (b) cardiac physiologists, (c) gastro-intestinal physiologists, (d) neurophysiologists, (e) respiratory physiologists and (f) sleep physiologists in the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This data is not collected centrally. Never events are reported through a tool called the Strategic Executive Information System which does not routinely collect information on the specialty of staff involved in never events.

NHS: Reorganisation

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many sustainability and transformation partnerships are chaired by a local government official.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will set out the responsibilities of a sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) Chief Executive and STP Chair.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide a list of sustainability and transformation partnership chairs and chief executives and their remuneration.

Steve Brine: A list of accountable officers for each of the 44 sustainability and transformation partnerships (STP) areas is available on the NHS England website at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/stps/view-stps/ In relation to remuneration data, NHS England do not hold this information centrally. It is for each STP area to decide where they may need support or advice from external organisations and normal value for money rules apply. However, all partners within each STP area need to be disciplined about keeping costs as low as possible as they work to alleviate pressures on the National Health Service, and improve patient care. An example of STP accountable officers’ responsibilities are outlined in ‘Leading a Sustainability and Transformation Partnership’, which is attached. It includes a responsibility to engage with local communities and staff to improve healthcare across their footprint.  STP leaders come from a variety of backgrounds. Currently, four STP areas are led by local government officers.



PQ9433 attached document
(PDF Document, 308.13 KB)

Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints were made to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency regarding transvaginal mesh implants in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Steve Brine: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Adverse Incident Report figures with regards to Transvaginal Mesh Implants are as follows:YearsCount of Incident Number200626200752008122009122010412011522012992013106201427620153922016265Grand Total1,286

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Tumble Dryers: Safety

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on addressing concerns relating to tumble dryer safety; and what recent discussions he has had with manufacturers on that matter.

Margot James: The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety that I set up last year to further improve the safety of white goods and the recalls system, made its final recommendations in July.Actions are already underway to implement a number of the Group’s recommendations including tasking BSI (British Standards Institution) with making available a code of practice on recalls by the end of the year. We are also considering the framework for a national body to support consumers on product safety.The Department is in regular contact with white goods manufacturers and AMDEA (the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances) were members of the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid to the Behavioural Insights Team in each year since 2014.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014. This has enabled the Department to add to its evidence base to support priority Government areas.Since January 2011, details of central Government contracts above the value of £10,000 have been published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive. Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Iraq: Armed Forces

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the behaviour of the Iraqi armed forces trained by UK armed forces is compliant with international (a) humanitarian and (b) human rights law.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence takes its role in promoting International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law very seriously. Before we undertake any training of foreign troops around the world, we assess the potential impact of the proposed training in relation to these laws and we seek to mitigate any risks. Our training in Iraq includes instruction on the Law of Armed Conflict. If we are made aware of any credible potential breaches of International Law we engage with the Iraqi authorities.

Ministry of Defence: Sign Language

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to provide (a) information on its services in British Sign Language (BSL) and (b) correspondence in BSL to people whose principal language is BSL.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence engages the support of British Sign Language interpreters as required. Arrangements are made at a local level.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of whether uncertainty around the future status of non-UK EU citizens in the UK will lead to discrimination in access to housing; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: No assessment has been made. However, the government has been clear that providing certainty for EU nationals in the UK is a priority.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much his Department paid to the Behavioural Insights Team in each year since 2014.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Mr Marcus Jones: My Department has already published this information on the GOV.UK website and this can be found at the link belowhttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-spending-over-250

Local Government

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on (a) the delivery of child social services, (b) the delivery of adult social services and (c) local authority workforce levels.

Mr Marcus Jones: DCLG engages with local government on a range of policy areas, and this dialogue will continue as the UK prepares to leave the EU. We are working closely with local authorities and a wide range of other interested parties to understand the impacts and challenges of EU exit and plan for a wide range of scenarios.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a breakdown of all office improvement costs at his Department's offices at 2 Marsham Street in each year since 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: No office improvement costs have been incurred by my Department at 2 Marsham Street since 2015.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Sign Language

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department takes to provide (a) information on its services in British Sign Language (BSL) and (b) correspondence in BSL to people whose principal language is BSL.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department currently offers the service for the public to request information and correspondence in British Sign Language (BSL), through our print supplier.

Supported Housing: Finance

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the future funding of supported housing consultation.

Mr Marcus Jones: Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We have been listening to the sector through responses to our consultation and have also been talking stock of the joint DCLG/DWP Select committee report. We will set out further details on our plans in the autumn.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much each local authority spent on council tax reduction schemes in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Marcus Jones: This is published in the ‘individual local authority data – outturn’ sections each financial year at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financingThe cost of local council tax support scheme figures are recorded in the Revenue Summary (RS) tables. Costs of council tax discounts locally funded can be found in the table for central, protective and other services (RO6).

HM Treasury

Civil Servants: Pay

Alex Norris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to section 8 of his Department's Civil Service Pay Guidance 2017-18, published on 27 April 2017, what recruitment and retention-related pay flexibilities have been granted since 2012 for (a) non-consolidated performance related pay pot adjustments and (b) targeted consolidated increases; and to which core departments and non-departmental public bodies those flexibilities have been granted.

Elizabeth Truss: Comprehensive information is not held centrally. Departments will hold specific information about their own pay arrangements.

Public Sector: Pay

Alex Norris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to issue remit letters to the chairs of the pay review bodies for the 2018-19 pay round before the 2017 Autumn Budget.

Elizabeth Truss: I will be writing to chairs of the pay review bodies in due course following the usual process.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Bob Blackman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the requirement in the Illicit Trade Protocol to license tobacco manufacturing machinery.

Bob Blackman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government plans to ratify the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Andrew Jones: A Command Paper setting out the UK’s plans to ratify the World Health Organisation Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will be laid before Parliament once legislation to implement the Protocol has been approved by Parliament. While the UK already has many of the Protocol’s requirements in place, the requirement to license tobacco manufacturing machinery has not yet been implemented. Legislation to accomplish this is currently before Parliament in the Finance Bill.

Revenue and Customs: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many HM Revenue and Customs jobs were based in Wales in each year since 2010.

Mel Stride: The total headcount of HM Revenue and Customs roles based in Wales is set out below. The data represents the position as at 31 March of each respective year. YearHeadcount of roles based in Wales2017403620163571201533352014363020133918201240722011388820104139

Science: Fund Raising

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of life science companies reach their annual and lifetime fundraising limits with the Enterprise Innovation Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts; and if he will publish a comparison with other sectors.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs does not currently collect such detailed information on the total amount of tax-advantaged investments received by life science companies using the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts scheme. All available data related to the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts are available in the annual Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme Statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/enterprise-investment-scheme-and-seed-enterprise-investment-scheme-statistics-october-2016) and the Venture Capital Trusts Statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/venture-capital-trusts-statistics) publications.

Apprentices: Taxation

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies registered under UK Standard Industry Classification Code Section 78 pay the apprenticeship levy.

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the recruitment industry will contribute in apprenticeship levy payments in 2017-18.

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the recruitment industry has paid in apprenticeship levy payments to date.

Mel Stride: The most recent UK wide forecasts of the number of employers paying the levy in different sectors and amount paid by sector are published by the Department for Education, and can be found online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/545145/Apprenticeships_-expected_levy_and_total_spend_-_Aug_2016.pdf. This suggested that 1,730 employers would be in the Administrative and Support Service sector, which includes employers in the recruitment industry. A more detailed sector breakdown, splitting out companies registered under UK Standard Industry Classification Code Section 78 (Employment Activities), is not available. The Apprenticeship Levy applies to all employers operating across all sectors. An allowance of £15,000 means only those with a pay bill exceeding £3 million have to pay the levy. Therefore companies in the recruitment industry are liable to pay the Apprenticeship Levy only if they have a pay bill of over £3 million.Guidance on what counts towards the paybill can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pay-apprenticeship-levy

Revenue and Customs: Electronic Government

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans HM Revenue and Customs has to adopt GOV.UK Verify.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is already a significant user of GOV.UK Verify, both in terms of number of services connected to GOV.UK Verify and volume of transactions. HMRC services that are currently available through GOV.UK Verify include the Personal Tax Account, the Self Assessment Tax Return service, and the Claim A Tax Refund service.

Financial Services

Edward Argar: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he or Ministers of his Department have had with representatives of the (a) insurance, (b) mortgage and (c) banking industry on updating their standard terms and conditions to reflect increased life expectancy and later retirement and pension ages.

Stephen Barclay: Treasury Ministers meet regularly with representatives from the insurance, mortgage and banking industries on a variety of issues. However, there have been no discussions of the effect that increased longevity might have on the terms and conditions for financial products. The terms and conditions of products are a commercial matter for firms. If firms’ terms and conditions are incorrect or could be misleading to consumers, this is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority.

Revenue and Customs: Recruitment

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons recruitment controls were imposed at HM Revenue and Customs offices in Glasgow, London, Newcastle and Worthing from 1 August 2017; and what is the nature of those controls.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) ambition to move to 13 Regional Centre locations, along with a small number of transitional and specialist sites, requires effective planning of future workforce numbers. Additional recruitment controls have been introduced in Glasgow, London, Newcastle and Worthing to ensure HMRC is not recruiting more people than required. These are designed to ensure that greater rigour is applied to the vacancy filling and external recruitment processes. HMRC will manage and monitor these controls as part of the normal approval processes for vacancies and external recruitment.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Allowances

Charlie Elphicke: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to reply to applications from the haulage sector for bespoke agreements to pay overnight allowances to drivers; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: This information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not record turnaround times for dealing with approval notices from the haulage sector.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Allowances

Charlie Elphicke: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons HM Revenue and Customs plans to change the sleep cab allowance for lorry drivers from April 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride: Finance Act 2015 introduced an exemption for general business expenses, to reduce reporting for employers when reimbursing actual costs. The legislation which took effect from April 2016 applies to all employers and brought in a statutory requirement to operate a checking system to ensure that employees are incurring allowable expenses. Employers in the haulage sector were allowed a further year to put checking systems in place.

Social Enterprises: Tax Allowances

Anneliese Dodds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether those inspecting social investment tax relief advanced assurance applications in his Department are conducting their inspections in line with the current law on social investment tax relief.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) administers the social investment tax relief (SITR) scheme and applies the current law when considering applications from social enterprises. HMRC does not provide its opinion on non-statutory pre-clearance applications (advance assurances) where there will be, or may be, a rule change that would affect the eligibility of a proposed investment. Investors are able to make such investments without an advance assurance.

Non-domestic Rates

Bill Esterson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to announce the results of the Government's review into business rates.

Mel Stride: The Government concluded a fundamental review of business rates at Budget 2016 with a package of reductions worth almost £9bn over the next five years. As a next step the Government aims to revalue properties more frequently and to look more broadly at the way in which we address the perceived unfairness that companies that operate in bricks and mortar are effectively treated differently from companies that do not. The Government will provide an update in due course.

Mining: Pensions

Chris Williamson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the additional benefits that have been awarded under surplus sharing arrangements to members of the (a) the Mineworkers Pension Scheme and (b) British Coal Staff Superannuation since 1994.

Elizabeth Truss: Until 2015, surpluses for each scheme were shared equally between scheme members and the Government as Guarantor. That arrangement continues for the MPS but new arrangements were agreed in 2015 for the BCSSS. How the members’ share of the surplus is used is a matter for the Trustees

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: USA

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish a list of future meetings with (a) US Administration staff, (b) business representatives and (c) others who he plans to hold discussions with in each of the next six months.

Greg Hands: The United States is an important bilateral trading relationship and vital to our economy. Total trade between the UK and US in 2016, totalled £167.6bn and both sides have committed to deepening our commercial relationship further. Over the next six months we will be in regular contact with the US Administration, business representatives and others, including through our diplomatic missions in the United States, to support and increase investment and trade flows. To this end, my hon Friend, the Minister for Investment (Mark Garnier MP), will be visiting the US next week.

Department for International Trade: USA

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish details of (a) US Administration staff, (b) business representatives and (c) others who (i) he and (ii) Departmental staff had meetings with during his visit to the US in July 2017.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will list all the (a) US Administration staff, (b) business representatives and (c) others he met during his visit to the US in July 2017.

Greg Hands: During his visit my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and the US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, chaired the plenary session of the first meeting of UK-US Trade and Investment Working Group. The meeting included representatives from US and UK Government agencies and delegations. During the visit, he also met with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, members of Congress and took part in various speaker events. He completed the American visit by travelling to Houston to hold meetings related to international trade and investment.

Department for International Trade: Recruitment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which agencies his Department has used to recruit staff to that Department.

Greg Hands: Recruitment of permanent staff into the Department for International Trade is done through Civil Service Resourcing (CSR), who utilise a set group of Crown Commercial Service approved recruitment agencies for certain posts.Since the Department’s creation in July 2016, through CSR we have engaged with the following agencies to recruit permanent staff:- Russell Reynolds Associates- Veredus Executive Search and Selection- Moloney Search- Odgers BerndtsonWe have also used the in-house Civil Service Executive Search function to fill posts, managed internally by CSR.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of staff required to assist in trade negotiations; how many such staff have been hired; and what the budget is for the employment of such staff.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) has a strong and capable trade policy team which has grown significantly since July 2016, and is continuing to grow. We continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and externally, in order to build a world class trade policy team that can deliver the best outcomes for the UK. The Department recently appointed Crawford Falconer to the role of Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser, Head of Trade Profession and Second Permanent Secretary. DIT are committed to delivering a successful exit from the EU. With budgets being dependant on the outcomes of negotiations with the European Union and on policy decisions yet to be taken, it is not possible to provide a figure at this time. DIT will publish our financial accounts which will detail our total expenditure on staff at year end.

Exports: Japan

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which areas of the Japanese market are considered to be the most attractive to British exporters.

Mark Garnier: As a large and diversified market, the Japanese market is attractive to a wide range of UK exporters in both goods and services and was the 11th largest destination for UK exports in 2015.In 2016, the top five UK goods exported to Japan were: Machinery and mechanical appliances; Motor vehicles; pharmaceuticals; optical, photographic, cinematographic and medical instruments; and electrical machinery and equipment.In 2015, the top UK services exported to Japan were financial services, other business services and transportation services.Sources: ONS Pink Book; HMRC Interactive Database

Trade Promotion: North Africa

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to improve trade relations with (a) Tunisia and (b) other Northern African countries.

Mark Garnier: The UK has strong trade relations across North Africa. DIT teams support British companies exporting and investing throughout the region, including through trade missions in both directions. The Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys to Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt (with a watching brief on Libya) support this work, including through trade discussions with Government Ministers in these countries. The Lord Mayor of the City of London also visited the region this year. UK Export Finance (UKEF) has significant capacity to support UK exports to North Africa. UKEF recently increased its capacity for Egypt and will be reviewing its limits for other North African countries.

Department for International Trade: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to promote whistleblowing in his Department.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) is committed to an open and honest culture that encourages employees to raise any concerns at an early stage. The Department draws upon guidance provided by the Civil Service Employee Policy Team regarding whistleblowing and raising policy concerns.The Department will be participating in the Civil Service-wide Whistleblowing Awareness Day on 21st September to promote the procedures in place to accommodate whistleblowers and the part they play in protecting the integrity of public services. Nominated officers from DIT and across Government Departments will have a further opportunity to improve capability and share best practice at an event on 6th December.

Women and Equalities

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Sarah Champion: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to further support women from Northern Ireland accessing abortion care in England with regard to travel and accommodation costs.

Anne Milton: On 29 June, the government made clear that we would be providing abortions in England without charge for residents of Northern Ireland.Since that date, women from Northern Ireland have not been charged for abortions provided. We are working with service providers to agree a mechanism to deliver the service for women from Northern Ireland that replicates as closely as possible the service that residents of England receive. This includes assessing the scope for paying necessary travel and accommodation costs.

Abortion: Northern Ireland

Sarah Champion: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what changes the Government plans to the funding of the Government Equalities Office to support its work in helping women from Northern Ireland access abortion care in England.

Anne Milton: On 29 June, the government made clear that we would provide abortions in England without charge for residents of Northern Ireland.Her Majesty’s Treasury will make the necessary funding available to the Government Equalities Office to facilitate this.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Sign Language

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department takes to provide (a) information on its services in British Sign Language (BSL) and (b) correspondence in BSL to people whose principal language is BSL.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport take account of the needs of all groups in developing its policies and delivering its services. The department aims to make all its information and correspondence accessible and responds positively to requests for information in different formats, including British Sign Language. We have a policy of fulfilling reasonable requests where costs are proportionate.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support (a) British holidaymakers and (b) residents of the Overseas Territories in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Irma.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) activated its Crisis Centre on 6 September, before the hurricane made landfall in the Caribbean. Since then, the FCO has led the cross-Government response to this unprecedented crisis. A number of Government Departments are co-located in the crisis centre and are working round the clock to provide the best possible assistance to those affected in the British Overseas Territories and other areas struck by the hurricane.Royal Fleet Auxiliary Mounts Bay was pre-positioned in the Caribbean in July, ahead of the hurricane season. Two RAF transport aircraft were sent to the region on 7 September carrying and emergency supplies. On 8 September, a further two aircraft delivered a Puma transport helicopter and ancillary supplies. This steady tempo of relief flights has been sustained and on 11 September included a Voyager and a C-17A. That large military effort continues. We now have over 1000 military personnel and over 50 UK police officers in the region.Over half a million British Nationals have been affected by Hurricane Irma. Since 8 September we have taken over 2,500 calls on our crisis hotline and are handling 2,418 consular cases. Consular teams in Cuba and the US are working closely with tour operators and local authorities to ensure British nationals are getting the support they need.In St Martin, a four person rapid deployment team (RDT) arrived on 12 September. We also have RDT teams in BVI, Anguilla and TCI. They will be working with the local authorities and supporting British Nationals requiring consular assistance.We have arranged military-assisted departures for 12 vulnerable eligible persons from the BVI and are planning military-assisted departures for vulnerable persons in other affected Overseas Territories.In the British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands, we have Foreign Office staff on the ground who are working closely with UK military, Department for International Development colleagues and local authorities to coordinate the humanitarian relief effort and provide assistance. We have already reinforced the teams supporting the Governors and are sending further reinforcements to the region.In addition to the £32 million already committed to support recovery efforts in the Islands, the Prime Minister made a further commitment of £25 million on 13 September. Restoring security, critical infrastructure and the provision of humanitarian and consular assistance remain our priorities in the region.Over 40 metric tonnes of DFID aid has now arrived and is being distributed across the region. This includes 2,608 kits, which can provide shelter for over 13,000 people and 2,304 solar lanterns, which can provide essential light and power for over 11,000 people. With our support, the Red Cross are providing drinking water, family hygiene kits, blankets, tarpaulins and other emergency supplies across the islands. We are working with Thomson, Thomas Cook and Virgin who are providing aircraft to help deliver aid to the region. Examples of aid provided includes nine tonnes of food and water and more is on the way.HMS Ocean has been loaded with 200 pallets of DFID aid, 60 pallets of Emergency Relief Stores, 5,000 hygiene kits, 10,000 buckets and 504,000 Aquatabs as well as equipment of behalf of the French military and a generous gift of vehicles from the Government of Gibraltar. HMS Ocean is now enroute to the region.

Republic of Ireland: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that relations with the Republic of Ireland are not detrimentally affected by the UK leaving the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to continuing to build and strengthen our close relations with Ireland through regular ministerial contact, as evidenced by the recent visits to Ireland by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Northen Ireland, and joint commemorative events such as that to commemorate the Battle of Messines Ridge earlier this year. We believe strongly that maintaining close links with Ireland is of benefit to both countries.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to promote whistleblowing in his Department and agencies.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​All staff can see the whistleblowing policy on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) intranet. This includes a presentation on how to raise a concern and contact details for Nominated Officers to whom staff can talk in confidence about any concerns they have. The Board reviews whistleblowing data on a quarterly basis and regularly confirms its continued commitment to the policy. Regular messages are published in staff bulletins to remind employees how they can raise a concern, and our overseas posts supplement this with their own internal messaging on a six-monthly basis. Other internal communications on this issue have included a blog by the HR Director and poster campaigns. The FCO's Anti-Fraud and Corruption Unit has a 24/7 hotline for reporting concerns about financial irregularities.The FCO will mark Civil Service Whistleblowing Awareness Day on 21 September with a message to all staff, digital signage in the FCO building and an internal tweeting campaign by senior staff and Nominated Officers. The FCO coordinates its whistleblowing awareness activities with its executive agencies who adopt a similar approach.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has paid to the Behavioural Insights Team in each year since 2014.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what services her Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Rory Stewart: The Department for International Development has received services from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014. This has enabled the department to add to its evidence base to support priority government areas.Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive. Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Caribbean: Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what (a) short-term emergency and (b) medium-term reconstruction aid her Department has provided to people affected by Hurricane Irma.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister has made available £57 million to support those affected by Hurricane Irma which is being delivered through a co-ordinated response, drawing on expertise from across Government. DFID has sent more than 40 metric tonnes of UK aid to the region including thousands of shelter kits and solar lanterns. More supplies will be arriving throughout the month.Our top priority is to help with the most urgent needs. But we are also discussing with the governments in the region how best to support them as they begin to get basic services such as health and education running again, and to rebuild their economies and infrastructure.The Government will continue to do all it can to support those affected. Further details of our work are available on our website https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

Department for Education

Schools: South Suffolk

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding of (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in South Suffolk, and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015, on 17 July. As a result, core funding for schools will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19 and £43.5 billion in 2019-20, representing an increase in the total schools budget of over 6% between this year and 2019-20. This means funding per pupil will now be maintained in real terms for the remaining two years of this Spending Review. The Secretary of State further set out the details of the new national funding formula for schools, including the funding it will allocate for schools in South Suffolk, on [14] September. They can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her oral statement of 17 July 2017, Official Report, column 567, what proportion of the £2.6 billion over two years in funding for schools was not announced in the 2015 Spending Review.

Nick Gibb: Mr Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015. Core funding for schools will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19 and £43.5 billion in 2019-20, representing an increase in the total schools budget of over 6% between this year and 2019-20. This means that funding per pupil will now be maintained in real terms for the remaining two years of this Spending Review.This represents £1.3 billion in additional investment: £416 million more than was set aside at the last Spending Review for the core school budget in 2018-19, and £884 million more in 2019-20.This extra investment will be funded by efficiencies and savings within the Department’s budget.

Schools: Transport

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will revise the home-to-school travel and transport statutory guidance to reduce the mileage thresholds beyond which free transport is provided for pupils.

Nick Gibb: The statutory walking distances exist to ensure both a minimum level of entitlement for those living furthest from their local schools and that the cost of providing free school transport remains affordable for local authorities. We have no plans to revise these distances at this time.

Education: Assessments

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to pages 45-46 of the Social Mobility Commission's report, Time for Change: an assessment of government policies on social mobility 1997-2017, published on 28 June 2017, what assessment she has made of the effect of the focus on evaluating pupils' learning of core content through examinations on levels of stress and anxiety among students.

Nick Gibb: Examinations are, by their very nature, stressful but the Government has already taken steps to reduce the examination burdens upon young people. At GCSE we have made examinations linear with examinations only at the end of the course of study, giving pupils at least two full years of study before they sit external examinations. We have also removed the incentives for multiple resits that were not helping children’s education. At A level we have also made the examinations linear with no January assessment window, and have created a new structure that will enable students to study for two full years towards an A level without the need to take an AS level examination at all. Schools are responsible for preparing all young people for examinations and should have strong pastoral support in place to help pupils deal with any worries they might have throughout the year.

Schools: Finance

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to (a) increase core schools' funding in (i) England and (ii) Hampshire and (b) introduce a fairer funding formula for schools.

Nick Gibb: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015, on 17 July. As a result, core funding for schools will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19 and £43.5 billion in 2019-20, representing an increase in the total schools budget of over 6% between this year and 2019-20. This means funding per pupil will now be maintained in real terms for the remaining two years of this Spending Review. We have now announced details of the new national funding formulae, meaning that from April 2018 funding will finally be allocated on a fair and transparent basis. We have announced the funding that will be allocated for all schools in England, including schools in Hampshire, under the formula. Full details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs.Together these reforms will give schools a firm foundation that will enable them to continue to raise standards, promote social mobility, and give every child the best possible education.

Schools: Birmingham

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the proposed additional £1.3 billion of funding for schools will be allocated; and how much of that funding will be provided to schools in (a) Birmingham and (b) Birmingham Hall Green constituency.

Nick Gibb: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools and high needs across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget set at Spending Review 2015, on 17 July. As a result, core funding for schools will rise from almost £41 billion in 2017-18 to £42.4 billion in 2018-19 and £43.5 billion in 2019-20, representing an increase in the total schools budget of over 6% between this year and 2019-20. This means funding per pupil will now be maintained in real terms for the remaining two years of this Spending Review.We have now announced details of our final national funding formula for schools, and the funding it will allocate for schools and local authorities, including schools in Birmingham and Birmingham Hall Green. Full details are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-tables-for-schools-and-high-needs.

Nurses: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the intake of students on university nursing courses.

Joseph Johnson: The Government has reformed the way students studying nursing, midwifery or one of the allied health professions are funded by moving them onto the standard student support system. Training costs have, until now, largely been borne by the NHS. This has resulted in an artificial capping of trainees in these professions. By placing healthcare students on the same support system as other students, Government has removed this cap. On 1 August 2017, the Department for Health announced funding for an extra 10,000 places for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals by 2020, meaning universities can recruit more home-grown talent from the thousands of applications that have needed to be rejected each year. The changes to funding also mean students will have around 25% more financial support than before. The Government continues to work with the university sector, clinical providers and other partners to support student recruitment.

Careers and Enterprise Company

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the work of the Careers and Enterprise Company to help young people into work; and whether her Department plans to provide support to that company in future.

Anne Milton: The Government wants to improve careers education and guidance for all ages. We are investing over £70 million this year to support young people and adults to get high quality careers provision. The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) has made excellent progress to date in several areas, including:launching its Enterprise Adviser Network to provide more opportunities for young people to learn about the world of work. To date over 1,800 Enterprise Advisers are working with schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise strategies and link up with employers. an investment fund which is helping proven careers and enterprise activities to reach 250,000 young people, with 75% going to the geographical areas most in need of support. providing funding for 39 mentoring programmes that support young people most at risk of not achieving their potential. We remain committed to working with the CEC in the future and building on the good work carried out to date.

Schools: Scunthorpe

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools in Scunthorpe constituency have been allocated a careers and enterprise company adviser.

Anne Milton: The department is working closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) and I met with representatives of the Company recently. The CEC set up its Enterprise Adviser Network in 2015 to work with schools and colleges to increase opportunities for young people to learn more about the world of work. Over 1,800 Enterprise Advisers are now working with schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise provision. In Scunthorpe there are five education establishments that have signed up to the network, of which one has been matched with an Enterprise Adviser and the others are in the process of being matched.

Children: Training

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many under 18-year olds enrolled on computer or IT-based (a) training and (b) degree courses in each of the last five years.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The numbers of enrolments on higher education courses in computer science subjects by age since the academic year 2011/12 have been provided in table 1. Statistics on participation in apprenticeships for the Information and Communication Technology sector subject area of learners aged under 19 since the academic year 2011/12 have been provided in table 2. Table 1: Full-person Equivalent Computer Science Enrolments broken down by ageUK Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic Years 2011/12 to 2015/16 Age12011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Under 18 years old675585665715705189,2858,5409,72010,60511,2951912,92012,56512,97014,33515,1402013,76513,81014,02514,41015,48021 to 24 years old28,95527,92528,27527,76028,385Over 24 years old30,05526,08025,91525,41025,245Unknown55555Total95,67089,50591,57593,24096,250 Source: DfE analysis of HESA student record 2011/12-2015/16Notes:* Figures are given in terms of Full-Person Equivalents. Where a student is studying more than one subject, they are apportioned between subjects that make up their course.* Figures are enrolments across all years of study.* Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.1 Student age is as at 31 August in the reporting period. Table 2: Apprenticeship Participation in Information and Communication Technology, Learners Aged Under 19English Apprenticeship ProvidersAcademic Years 2011/12 to 2015/16Age12011/122012/132013/142014/152015/16Under 19 years old11,0009,3209,35010,60011,800 Source: DfE analysis of Individualised Learner Record 2011/12-2015/16Notes:* A learner is participating in an academic year if their learning aim is active at any point during the relevant period.* Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.1 Learner age is as at 31 August in the reporting period. Learners may take training in computer science subjects as part of other qualifications. Table 2 does not show learners participating on these types of courses.Participation in apprenticeships in other UK administrations should be requested from the respective governments.

Young People: Training

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage more young people to train in computer-based industries.

Anne Milton: The department is taking action at all stages of the education and training pipeline to help encourage young people into digital-related careers. We have introduced computing as a statutory national curriculum subject at all four key stages, in addition to a new Computer Science GCSE and A Level. The content was developed with industry experts to better equip pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to become active creators of digital technology.We have supported employers to develop new apprenticeships in digital occupations across different levels, including in data analysis, digital marketing, network engineering and cyber security. We also established Ada, National College for Digital Skills. Driven by employers, Ada will train up to 5,000 students over the next five years for a wide range of digital careers and we are investing £500 million in reforming the technical education system, which includes the development of a specialist digital route with a clear pathway to employment.Young people also need information on the range of jobs and careers, as well as opportunities to engage with employers. Information on careers, courses and training in computer-based industries is available from a number of sources such as the National Careers Service who provide independent, professional advice on careers, skills and the labour market, in addition to the legal requirement on educational establishments to provide guidance.

Students: Loans

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the public purse of the write-off student loans after the 30 year term expires.

Joseph Johnson: The Government’s reforms to the undergraduate student finance system have ensured that it is financially sustainable for the taxpayer in the long-term, while enabling those with the talent to benefit from a higher education to be able to afford to do so.The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge estimates the value of loans that will not be repaid during their 30-year term, expressed as a percentage of the loan outlay made in the relevant year. For full time tuition fee and maintenance loans and part time fee loans issued in 2016/17, we estimate the RAB charge to be around 30%.

Children: Malnutrition

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to UN Sustainable Development Goal 2.1 to by 2030 end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round, what steps her Department is taking to tackle child hunger.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government actively supports the provision of nutritious food in schools. Free school meals are provided to the most disadvantaged pupils as well as to every pupil in reception, year 1 and year 2. We are also investing £10 million a year into school healthy breakfast clubs. The new School Food Standards regulations came into force on 1 January 2015 and can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1603/contents/made.The regulations apply to local authority maintained schools, academies that opened prior to September 2010 and academies and free schools entering into a funding agreement from June 2014. The School Food Standards regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day, including, for example, breakfast clubs, tuck shops, mid-morning break, vending and after school clubs. This Government is committed to ensuring that the welfare system is a strong safety net for those that need it; that is why it continues to spend over £90 billion a year on benefits for people of working age.Work remains the best route out of poverty and we are introducing major reforms including Universal Credit to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work.This Government’s policies means that there are now 608,000 fewer children in workless households compared with 2010.

Unemployment: Durham

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding and resources her Department is providing to reduce the number of people not in education, employment and training in (a) Easington constituency and (b) County Durham.

Anne Milton: We do not hold a breakdown of this funding. Allocation of skills funding for people aged 19 and over is available for those who need support to gain sustainable employment wherever they are. Our priorities are apprenticeships, traineeships, English and maths for those who need it and support for the unemployed to get into the labour market. Young people who did not achieve GCSEs or A Level equivalent at school can receive free training up to age 23.These priorities are focused on targeting young people ensuring that they are ready for employment or further training. The government will invest around £7 billion during 2016/17, to ensure there is a place in education or training for every 16 to 19-year old who wants one (including spend on apprenticeships for this age group). Around £540 million of this funding has been allocated to provide extra support specifically for disadvantaged students. Responsibility for identifying and supporting 16 to 19-year olds who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) lies with local authorities. Whilst the government provides the framework and funding to increase participation, responsibility and accountability lies with local authorities. They are responsible for making sure that there is sufficient, suitable education and training provision to meet those needs, and supporting young people to participate. There is a range of support and guidance that contributes to reducing the number of 16 to 18-year olds NEET, including independent careers advice in schools and colleges, and access to the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund.

Schools: Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many secondary schools in Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituency have been allocated a careers and enterprise company adviser.

Anne Milton: The department is working closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) and I met with representatives of the Company recently. The CEC set up its Enterprise Adviser Network in 2015 to work with schools and colleges to increase opportunities for young people to learn more about the world of work. Over 1,800 Enterprise Advisers are now working with schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise provision. In Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle there are five education establishments that have signed up to the network. Four establishments have been matched with an Enterprise Adviser and the other one is in the process of being matched.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to deal with the implications of Wakefield City Academy Trust no longer running schools in that area.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what effect Wakefield City Academies Trust's no longer running 21 schools will have on (a) the school timetable, (b) school standards, (c) funding and (d) childcare services organised through the school.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse is of the Wakefield City Academies Trust pulling out of running 21 schools a few days into the new school year.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to establish an enquiry to determine the reasons for the failure of the Wakefield Cities Academies Trust.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Holding answer received on 14 September 2017



The Department is working closely with the Wakefield City Academy Trust (WCAT) to manage a smooth transition for its pupils. An assessment of any financial requirements resulting from this is ongoing.The Department’s priority is to ensure that all children receive the best possible education and in this case we have agreed with WCAT to identify trusts that will be better able to improve outcomes for pupils.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animals: Smuggling

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken at ports to tackle illegal smuggling of puppies and other animals into the UK.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to tackle the smuggling of dogs into the UK.

George Eustice: We take the issue of illegal trafficking of puppies very seriously. Responsibility for stopping the illegal movement of puppies begins in the country where they are born. When cases of illegal puppy movements under the Pet Travel Scheme are discovered, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) working with Defra will raise instances of abuse of the scheme with the authorities in the relevant countries. Defra’s Chief Veterinary Officer has written to EU countries to raise concerns over illegal smuggling of puppies and animals and APHA has worked in partnership with the Dogs Trust at Dover where approx. 600 puppies have been seized and taken into quarantine since the initiative began. Defra also works closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to drive up standards for online advertisements and make potential pet owners and website operators more aware of rogue dealers to reduce demand.

Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on access to non-UK migrant labour in (a) non-seasonal agricultural sectors and (b) the egg industry when the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: We remain closely engaged with industry to ensure that we are informed of the latest intelligence on the labour market, including on both seasonal and permanent agricultural roles. As part of this, the government has commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to assess the role that EU citizens play in the UK economy and society, and we will work closely with the food and farming industry to consider their specific needs as we develop a new immigration system.

Local Government: Food

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to UN Sustainable Development Goal 2.1 to by 2030 end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round, what steps his Department is taking with local government to meet that target.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to UN Sustainable Development Goal 2.1 to by 2030 end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round, what steps his Department is taking to meet that target.

George Eustice: Global food security is dependent on a number of factors including increasing production sustainably, reducing waste and ensuring open markets around the world to facilitate trade. The UK currently has a high degree of food security as shown by the 2010 UK Food Security Assessment. This is a comprehensive piece of work, covering all aspects of food security, including international trade and global resource sustainability. We have just commenced a review of the Assessment which will draw on a wide range of evidence sources.

Recycling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of waste was recycled in each local authority area in each year for which figures are available.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Information about the proportion of household waste recycled by each local authority in England for the latest financial year 2015-16 and for each year since 2005-6 can be found in Table 3 of the dataset titled ‘local authority collected waste generation for (England & regions) and local authority data:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env18-local-authority-collected-waste-annual-results-tables.

Environment Protection

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing environmental legislation to maintain and restore the UK's natural heritage.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra undertook a review of implementation of the EU Nature Directives, published in March 2012, which also fed into the Law Commission’s ongoing review of wildlife legislation at that time. The Law Commission published its recommendations on 10 November 2015, to which the Government responded on 22 November 2016. The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 is currently subject to post-legislative scrutiny. Defra’s memorandum provides a preliminary assessment of the Act, which has been submitted to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. This is available at the link below: www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-environment-and-rural-communities-act-2006-post-legislative-scrutiny

Environment Protection

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to ensure that Government funding for the formed environment is invested to preserve the standard of water, soil and landscapes and to mitigate climate change.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Agriculture and land management is key to the environment and the maintenance and improvement of our iconic landscapes. Our policy framework will respect the work of farmers and support environmental goods. Continued support is important, and so is reform. We need to take the opportunity that being outside the Common Agricultural Policy will give us to use public money to reward environmentally responsible land use. We have no intention of weakening our current environmental protections. We want to ensure that we are the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it.

Fly-tipping and Litter

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made  of the capacity of local authorities to respond to incidents of littering and fly-tipping

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The majority of local authority spending is financed by non-ringfenced income, which councils themselves decide how to spend. The Government has not made an assessment of the capacity of local authorities to respond to incidents of littering and fly-tipping. Local authorities have responsibility for tackling littering and fly-tipping and it is up to them to decide how best to do this and how to prioritise it against the provision of other local services.

Food: Procurement

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to change regulations to enable local authorities or central government to stipulate that food and drink that is procured centrally must be of local country or UK origin after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The Plan for Public Procurement: Food and Catering Services which was published in 2014 already provides UK food businesses with greater access to central government and wider public sector contracts.The Plan aims to simplify the public procurement process and open up the market to more SMEs and local producers. It provides a level playing field on which UK producers can compete for the opportunity to supply more of the produce currently supplied from other countries. It includes tools such as the balanced scorecard, to help contracting parties to balance a range of criteria beneficial to the consumer, the environment, and to producers. These criteria include embedding UK production standards, encouraging seasonality of fresh produce and calling for menus which celebrate the provenance of the food. This approach is a UK-led initiative which is not affected by leaving the EU.The balanced scorecard approach is mandated for central government departments as existing contracts come up for renewal and it is also strongly encouraged for other public sector bodies. Defra is working closely with buyers and with the industry to ensure they are well prepared to maximise the opportunities.The UK’s departure from the EU allows us to re-examine procurement rules to ensure they work in the best interests of UK businesses.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has received evidence of EU nationals facing discrimination in access to services in the UK as a result of the lack of clarity on their future legal status; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Steve Baker: There will be no change to the rights and status of EU nationals living in the UK, nor UK nationals living in the EU, while the UK remains in the EU. This means there will be no change to the ability of EU nationals to access services as they do now whilst the UK is an EU member state.Our clear intention during negotiations is to ensure that EU citizens living in the UK before the specified date will continue to enjoy access to public services after we leave the EU.

EU Nationals: Elections

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make it his policy to allow EU27 citizens to continue to be able to vote and to stand as candidates in local government elections after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: EU citizens with settled status, or who are on the pathway to settled status, will retain the right to vote and stand in any UK election which uses the local government register, so long as the rights of British citizens living in the EU are similarly protected.The UK has set out its position on this matter in negotiations with the Commission and we continue to encourage them to review the right of UK citizens, established in EU countries, to continue to vote in municipal elections.

Attorney General

Extradition: Rwanda

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Attorney General, what cost has been incurred by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last 11 years of extradition proceedings in relation to suspected Rwandan genocide by Dr Vincent Bajinya, Charles Munyaneza, Emmanuel Nteziryayo, Celestin Ugirashebuja and Celestin Mutabaruka.

Jeremy Wright: The Crown Prosecution Service (‘CPS’) conducts extradition proceedings on behalf of foreign states in compliance with section 190 of the Extradition Act 2003. The CPS’ costs for the first extradition proceedings from 2006-2009 was £348,029.29. No costs were incurred in the period 2009-2013. In respect of the second extradition proceedings, the costs incurred from 2013 to date of writing are £291.277.88, although some further costs are anticipated. The total costs to date are £639,307.17. CPS records do not capture the cost of internal time spent by CPS staff on individual cases.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department has paid to the Behavioural Insights Team in each year since 2014.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what services his Department has received from the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Guto Bebb: The Wales Office has neither received services from, nor paid money to, the Behavioural Insights Team since 2014.

Ministry of Justice

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any additional funds above the agreed contract for 2016-17 were given to community rehabilitation companies in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 12 September 2017.The correct answer should have been:

A total of £37.15m was paid to CRCs above their agreed contracts in 2016/17. These payments were made for a variety of reasons and cannot be broken down by CRC because the information is commercially sensitive. Furthermore, some concessions were agreed with CRCs on a case-by-case basis to enable them to re-invest contractual payment deductions in key areas of the business and improve services.In addition, we have made changes to how CRCs are paid for future years so they can focus on activities that best rehabilitate offenders and keep society safe. This additional investment will see projected payments to providers being no higher than originally budgeted for at the time of the reforms. A summary of the variations can be found below. Relevant OJEU notices can be found at http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:45770-2015:TEXT:EN:HTML&tabId=4  



Table detailing CRC Contract Variations
(Image, 50.57 KB)

Mr Sam Gyimah: A total of £37.15m was paid to CRCs above their agreed contracts in 2016/17. These payments were made for a variety of reasons and cannot be broken down by CRC because the information is commercially sensitive. Furthermore, some concessions were agreed with CRCs on a case-by-case basis to enable them to re-invest contractual payment deductions in key areas of the business and improve services.In addition, we have made changes to how CRCs are paid for future years so they can focus on activities that best rehabilitate offenders and keep society safe. This additional investment will see projected payments to providers being no higher than originally budgeted for at the time of the reforms. A summary of the variations can be found below. Relevant OJEU notices can be found at http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:45770-2015:TEXT:EN:HTML&tabId=4  



Table detailing CRC Contract Variations
(Image, 50.57 KB)

Trials: Technology

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to use technology to improve the efficiency of the judicial process.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is investing £1.1bn to transform our courts and tribunals and deliver a modern, swift and accessible justice system that maintains our global reputation for legal excellence.As part of this we will digitise our services to make them easier to use, and install modern and robust technology across all courts, to make the lives of our excellent judiciary and professional users easier.

Ministry of Justice: Sign Language

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department takes to provide (a) information on its services in British Sign Language (BSL) and (b) correspondence in BSL to people whose principal language is BSL.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry has several statutory obligations to provide interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings. This includes a contract for the provision of British Sign Language, which is made available wherever required across the Ministry, its executive agencies and arm length bodies, and other organisations in the justice sector who use the contracts.

Visas: Appeals

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many visa appeals have been decided for those who have no recourse to public funds in each month of the last two years.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many visa appeals took more than six months to be decided in each month of the last two years .

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many visa appeals decided for those who have no recourse to public funds took more than six months to be decided in each month of the last two years.

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many visa appeals have been decided in each month of the last two years.

Dr Phillip Lee: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not record the information requested.Information on the number of Immigration and Asylum appeal decisions is published quarterly, broken down into the case categories used by HMCTS to administer appeals:www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognitions-certificates-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2017-and-2016-to-2017.

Prisons: Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) e-cigarettes and (b) tobacco products were sold in prison shops in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Sam Gyimah: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 12 September 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Numbers of units of e-cigarettes, vaping products and tobacco items sold in prisons in England and Wales in each month for the last year are as set out in the attached annex.Prisons are rolling out the smoke free policy, subject to a series of assessments which will test the operational stability, readiness and health readiness of the prisons to implement the policy in a safe, decent and secure way. HMPPS’ health partners in England and Wales are fully involved in supporting prisoners with appropriate smoking cessation services in place.The open estate across England and Wales has been smoke free indoors since October 2015.


Number of Products Sold in Prisons
(Word Document, 12.97 KB)

Mr Sam Gyimah: Numbers of units of e-cigarettes, vaping products and tobacco items sold in prisons in England and Wales in each month for the last year are as set out in the attached annex.Prisons are rolling out the smoke free policy, subject to a series of assessments which will test the operational stability, readiness and health readiness of the prisons to implement the policy in a safe, decent and secure way. HMPPS’ health partners in England and Wales are fully involved in supporting prisoners with appropriate smoking cessation services in place.The open estate across England and Wales has been smoke free indoors since October 2015.


Number of Products Sold in Prisons
(Word Document, 12.97 KB)

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness and performance of community rehabilitation companies since their inception.

Dr Phillip Lee: Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) play a crucial role in delivering probation services. We have amended CRC contracts to reflect more accurately the fixed costs of delivering services to offenders.I laid a Written Ministerial Statement and published an open letter on 19 July 2017 which outlined these activities and reaffirmed our commitment to delivering high quality probation services.We closely monitor and robustly manage CRCs to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments. Data on CRC performance against service levels is published quarterly, with the latest data published in July: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-performance-quarterly-and-annual-2016-to-2017. The first set of final reoffending data for offenders supervised by CRCs will be published in October 2017; thereafter data will be published quarterly.

Probation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what factors led him to conclude in July 2017 that the problems experienced as a result of the reform of the probation service were unforeseen.

Dr Phillip Lee: In 2014/15 the government reformed the probation system to strengthen its focus on reducing reoffending and protecting communities. These reforms included dividing the probation caseload between Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) who supervise low and medium-risk offenders and the National Probation Service (NPS) who supervise higher-risk offenders.Since these reforms there have been unforeseen falls in the number of offenders sentenced to community orders, and an increase in the proportion of offenders assessed as posing a higher risk of harm. The result has been fewer offenders being referred to CRCs, leading to falls in CRC income to levels below those expected at the time of competition. It is for this reason that we took action to adjust the payment mechanism in CRC contracts so that providers’ income better reflects the fixed costs of delivering services to offenders and is less sensitive to changes in demand. As previously confirmed, this additional investment will see projected payments to CRCs still being no higher than originally budgeted for at the time of the reforms.

David Kelly

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will instigate a coroner-led inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly in 2005.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Secretary of State has no power to instigate a coroner-led inquest.Usually it is the coroner, who is an independent judicial office holder, who makes the decision whether to hold an inquest or, where the issue arises, to resume a suspended inquest.

Cabinet Office

Constituencies

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of the current  Boundary Review (a) up to 3 May 2017 and (b) from that date to the most recent date for which figures are available.

Chris Skidmore: I refer the honourable lady to my answer, given on 11th July 2017, to PQ3035.

Cybercrime

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to review UK cyber-security capabilities.

Caroline Nokes: The National Cyber Security Strategy sets out objectives focused on defending against cyber threats, deterring adversaries and developing the skills and capabilities required to make the UK more cyber secure.Cabinet Office have implemented a comprehensive framework for assessing performance against the objectives of the strategy.

Government Departments: Iron and Steel

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of steel procured by Government departments has been supplied by British companies in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not held centrally.The Government has published details of upcoming steel requirements for national infrastructure projects. The data shows how the government plans to use three million tonnes of steel until 2020 on infrastructure projects such as High Speed 2 (HS2) and the maintenance and upgrading of the UK’s motorway network. We have introduced public procurement guidelines that help UK steel suppliers to compete effectively with international suppliers for major projects.

Constituencies

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if it is still the Government's policy to proceed with the 2018 Boundary Review.

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with officials from the Boundary Commission on the 2018 Boundary Review.

Chris Skidmore: The current boundary review is proceeding in accordance with legislation passed in the 2010-15 Parliament under which the four Boundary Commissions are required to submit their final reports in September 2018.These reforms will ensure fair and equal representation for the voting public across the United Kingdom.I have had no discussions with officials from the four Boundary Commissions on the current boundary review.

Cybercrime: Training

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many 11 to 15-year olds have completed a CyberFirst course in the last 12 months.

Caroline Nokes: The CyberFirst programme covers a range of activities; a bursary scheme, girls only online competition and development events for students aged between 11-17. In the last 12 months over 8000 girls aged between the ages of 13-15 participated in an online CyberFirst girls competition and a further 442 14-15 year olds (boys and girls) participated in a range of four day residential/non-residential CyberFirst events over the summer.

Absent Voting

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward proposals to allow people to register for a postal vote online.

Chris Skidmore: The Government has made a manifesto commitment to reform the postal vote system, as part of continued work to ensure that our electoral systems are the most secure in the world. Any decision of allowing applications to be made online will be part of that consideration.